Recently, one would have a hard time making it through the day without hearing about government corruption and conspiracies by officials on every news outlet, social media site, and from people you know. Whether it be the gun control debate in America or the media regulation debate in the U.K. it seems we live in a time with just as much paranoia and uncertainty as the 1950’s that Nigel Kneale was writing all these great science fiction stories in. Quatermass II comes directly from this mindset, as Kneale was dealing with these issues himself. Rather than using a blatant allegory for the cold war or the red scare, as many American productions were doing, Kneale went for an allegory on the overstepping of Bureaucracy in government, government cover-ups, and government secrecy. According to Wikipedia, a lot of this came from his own problems with having to sign a binding document called The Official Secrets Act, due to being a BBC employee, and longstanding paranoia with “secret” military bases in the media.

The story in Quatermass II follows the titular character trying to figure out why a small town in the countryside was wiped off the earth to make way for a super-secret government facility. Not to mention that said facility looks suspiciously like a model of a moon base he has on his desk. Of course the story isn’t that simple, as the whole thing revolves around an alien invasion, a conspiracy to the uppermost seats of government, and a rag-tag group of scientists and civil servants trying to stop it.

By this time Bernard Quatermass is a bit more abrasive, even hardened from what he had to deal with years before. This is compounded by the failure of a nuclear rocket test he oversaw that killed hundreds, possibly wiping all his funding and putting him directly responsible for the disaster. I like to think Kneale changed the character on purpose to show character growth, but one could chalk this up to the fact that the character had to be recast right before production. This happened because Reginald Tate sadly died suddenly right before location shooting was to commence, and John Robinson was cast on very short notice. I actually really like Robinson in this role; he seems moody at times, but has a heroic tendency that makes him very likeable. You can tell that since he had to deal with an extra-terrestrial threat that could have eliminated life on Earth; he feels that he has special knowledge and duty to deal with these sorts of problems. A special nod should also go to the supporting cast, especially Hugh Griffith as Quatermass’s right hand man Dr. Leo Pugh. Pugh is a great addition to the cast simply because he seems to be everything that Quatermass isn’t. He’s likeable, has a welsh accent, and comes across as something of an absent minded mathematician.

Quatermass II is far more enjoyable for me than its predecessor for many reasons. First of all, the budget has been ramped up pretty drastically considering the production has quite a bit of location shooting inter-spliced with the live footage. This not only makes the plot move faster, as the cast isn’t confined to one or two rooms for an entire episode, but it gives the production less of a “stage play” vibe. The cinematography also seems to be stepped up a lot with a lot of artistic shots making this play look a lot more “epic” than it is. This means no more static ten minute scenes of two people talking by a prop; we might get a panning shot or two! One of the first shots of Quatermass happens right after a soldier states that “he knows a guy named Quatermass”, to which his fellow soldier asks “The rocket man?” seconds later, we are treated to a nice zoomed in shot of a person scanning the front of a rocket with some device wearing a clean suit and gas mask. He steps down, removes the mask, and reveals the hero of the play. Improvements aside, the main reason I really like this production is that it is ALL intact; in fact this is the oldest complete BBC science fiction production on record!

The only downside in these episodes is that the final act of the drama suffers from the same fate that many BBC science fiction productions would later be known for: a plot that is far too ambitious for its own good. When it seems the bleakest, Quatermass and Pugh decide to rig up the only remaining nuclear rocket and fly to the impending alien threat. This entire segment got away from the production crew a bit and comes off a lot sillier than it really should have been due to budgetary considerations and technical limitations. All in all the whole production is STILL really good, despite this.

I actually enjoyed Quatermass II more than the first serial and the first Hammer Films production. The plot was not only more ambitious, but was a feast for the eyes in comparison to part one. John Robinson is a great choice for Quatermass despite his quick casting, and I’m sad to see that this was the only serial he did under the umbrella – he was unavailable for future incarnations. All in all, I would almost recommend this serial to anyone wanting to get into the character over the other material I’ve seen, as it really captures the essence of everything, granted I’m watching these in order and Quatermass and the Pit might blow me away. Next up here on Quatermass Week, I’ll be taking a look at the Hammer Films version of this very drama. Will I like it as much? Check back to find out!!

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